Junior archers gather at Seabrook venue

SEABROOK — To look at the unassuming red building that houses Big Al's Archer's Paradise, one might be surprised to learn that it is home to world-champion archers.

Kiki Evans

SEABROOK — To look at the unassuming red building that houses Big Al's Archer's Paradise, one might be surprised to learn that it is home to world-champion archers.

A group of young archers from the region meets every week at Big Al's indoor archery range to learn and practice the sport of target archery. The group is part of the Junior Olympic Archery Development, or "JOAD," program, and includes beginners, intermediates and a two-time International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports World Junior Games participant.

"We've had a JOAD team for about 13 of the 15 years I've been in business," said Big Al's owner and JOAD head coach Dan Zecker, "and over that time we've had around 10 archers rank in the top 10 in the country."

Zecker is a top 5 world championship archer who competes in state championships around the country. He also participates in national events, and recently placed second at the Indoor Nationals Eastern Division, which took place in Sturbridge, Mass.

"I like the calmness and relaxation of it," said 16-year-old JOAD archer Brendan Driscoll. Driscoll brought home five medals for the United States at the IWAS World Junior Games in Puerto Rico and plans to compete again this summer at the 2014 games in London. The IWAS is a major route leading to the Paralympic Games.

"It's a very peaceful, meditative sport, when there's not too much of a crowd," jokes Driscoll, who attends Manchester-Essex Regional High School. This year marks his third season competing in archery.

One of Driscoll's legs was amputated when he was an infant. "His shoulders are well-developed, so he took right to it," said Brendan's mother, Ginger. "Dan is a great instructor. He knows all the little things that they have to know."

Zecker started out as the co-owner with Geof Walker of Big Al's Auto Parts, but after selling the business he decided to focus on his passion of archery. Two years after he opened the archery pro shop, Zecker began the nonprofit JOAD club.

JOAD is a nationally recognized program under the U.S.A. Archery Association, which is sanctioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee. All JOAD instructors must be U.S.A. archery-certified and insured.

There is no minimum age requirement to shoot a bow and arrow, and there are no permits or firearms requirements to practice target archery.

"We have kids who are 5 or 6 just starting out, and some who are up to 16 and 18 years old in the program," Zecker said.

Zecker and his team of coaches emphasize safety above everything else.

"Archery has the least amount of injuries of any sport," Zecker said. "There are a lot of rules in target archery and at archery tournaments that make it very safe."

Archers in the JOAD program can use recurve or compound bows.

"We always start young archers on a recurve, since it's easier to draw," Zecker said.

World championship competition includes both categories of archery, but the Olympics allow only recurve, or Olympic-style, bows.

"The national archery organizations have found that there's a lot of raw talent up here," said Steve Jordan, who is one of the head coaches of the Seabrook team, alongside Zecker and Paul Nakis. Jordan is the JOAD coordinator for New Hampshire.

While the Seabrook JOAD program has seen steady growth over the years, there has been a recent influx of girls becoming involved in the sport because of female archers in popular movies.

"With the 'Hunger Games' movies, 'Brave' and 'The Hobbit' movies, we've seen a surge in the level of participation," said Jordan, "Although I always suggest that the teens who shoot watch the movie, 'The Legend of Bagger Vance,' because it talks about 'being in the zone.'"

"Archery helps kids develop focus, especially kids with ADD and ADHD," Jordan continues. "They begin to excel in their schoolwork as a result of their increased ability to focus."

"It's also a family sport," Jordan said.

Karen Steele Atkinson has attended Seabrook's JOAD program with her children Jake, 7, and Amelia, 9, since September.

"Their focus has improved so much," she said. "They have to have intense focus when shooting, and this has really helped them in other areas of life."

The rules of etiquette in an archery range are much like those in bowling. On the shooting line, if an archer in the lane next to you has drawn, then you remain still. Just as in bowling, those interested in practicing archery can rent a lane and equipment for an hour. Zecker and his well-trained staff will suit each individual with the right equipment for his or her needs, from beginner to expert.

Beginners are welcome to try the program out, and there is no requirement for JOAD archers to participate in tournaments, which can last for days at a time. Many participants attend the weekly practices just to learn the sport and improve their skills.

In order to go to a tournament, an archer must be able to shoot at least 18 meters as adults, and 9 meters as children, using a timer. Jordan said that in tournaments, archers are only in competition with themselves, and the person shooting immediately next to them may be in another division.

"Archery is shot with a team, but it's an individual sport," Jordan said. Hundreds of archers may be competing and shooting at the same time.

At the Indoor Nationals a few weeks ago, there were 160 shooters aiming at 43 targets, or "bales," coming to the ready line 40 archers at a time, making it the biggest tournament in the United States for the number of registrants.

In a tournament setting, one line of archers switches out and another comes forward immediately.

At outdoor competitions, archers may shoot longer distances, such as 90 meters, than at indoor competitions, but the experts can shoot shorter distances, such as 6 meters, as well.

"Shortest distances are the most difficult because you really have to know your equipment," Jordan said, "so they can't usually shoot them indoors."

In the summer months, archers may travel to the top of mountains on ski lifts in outdoor competitions, known as "3-D," shooting at foam targets the whole way down the mountain. Archers will shoot rain or shine, as all competitors are subject to the same conditions, and the equipment can stand up to the elements.

Although the sport of target archery is practiced and played year round, indoors throughout the colder months or outdoors during the warmer months, there is generally a suspension in tournaments between September and December, during hunting season.

"People are drawn to archery for many reasons," Zecker said. "It's very similar to the martial arts and yoga. It's a quiet sport that commands intense concentration and the ability to focus. Because of this, it can build a child's self-confidence and relieve some of the stresses of everyday life."

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